The Reclamation
by Keggy Chaos
Summary: Sequel to Serendipity. James is given the opportunity to reclaim Synnove and the life he dreamt of. A figure from the past returns, but his help relies on compassion and with no beating heart in his chest, compassion is in short supply. All James wants is Synnove back in his arms - but will he still want to be with her after the journey is complete?
1. Prologue

A year or so had passed since the day that Synnove was taken from him, but to be honest, James no longer had any idea whatsoever about the passage of time. Every morning James would drag himself out of bed, stumbling his way through piles of empty bottles littered across the floor and made his way down to the docks. Keys followed him and stayed at his side throughout the day, keeping a watchful eye on his master, protecting him as Synnove would have wanted. All day long he would work under the blistering sun to earn his keep and force his mind to do something other than reminisce. As soon as he held the coins in his hand they were gone, spent on more bottles of alcohol, in the hopes that it would calm his aching heart and silence his racing thoughts. The only thing the run actually did was dull his thoughts; the pain remained no matter what he did. James spent most of his waking hours either hung over or so inebriated that he could barely move. On the rare moments that James was sober his words were cruel and vicious, even to those who brought only kindness to his door. In those same moments he could not escape the clarity of his thoughts or his memories. Every time he closed his eyes, Synnove was there. She would turn around, her bright blue swirling eyes meeting his, and all she had to do was smile at him. Just one simple smile could make James so happy, but then he would open his eyes and Synnove would disappear. His waking hours destroyed him for only in sleep could he see her, speak with her and feel as if she were still alive and standing next to him. As soon as he opened his eyes the pain would return much stronger than before. Sometimes he heard the whisper of her voice on the winds of the night. Every night when he laid his head down upon his pillow, she was laying next to him, never saying a word, just laying there and smiling. She would inch closer, ever so slowly and wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head on his chest. His arms would wind their way around her small body and pull her close, clinging to her while he knew that he could. But as soon as the sun rose, Synnove would turn to dust in his arms and he would awaken feeling cold and all the more empty. James had spent enough time in this cycle to realise that the Synnove he held onto each night was nothing more than a dream. The light fingers which would run through his hair were nothing but a lie. As long as he clung to that knowledge he could tell reality from his dreams. But as time passed, he wished to slip into his dreams forever. Being awake brought nothing but pain, being inebriated brought him closer to sleep and thus to the bottle he turned. His drunkenness lead him to bitterness, to the point where few could stand to be around him, but he no longer cared. With Synnove no longer alive all James wanted was to be left to his dreams. He frequently started fights with large groups of drunken sailors, partly to release the anger he kept in his chest and partly in a wish to finally be freed from the desolation called his life. Yet no one ever drew a pistol to kill him. James would never be that fortuitous. He quickly found that the only reason he woke up each morning was so that he could get back to sleep, and back to Synnove.

Theodore Groves had fallen deeply in love with the shy Yulia Osmosechu. He had taken Yulia and Antanasia along with Antanasia's newborn son Victor back to England with him. Groves planned to marry Yulia on the journey home and claim that Victor was their son in order to spare Antanasia a ruined life. James had tried to appear happy for them, but he was too overcome by bitterness. The children he had dreamt of having with Synnove would never be anything more than a beautiful lie. James was glad when the four had left for they no longer served to remind him of what he wanted so badly to forget. They had sent word from England stating that Groves had been successful in re-entering the Royal Navy and Yulia was now his wife and pregnant with a child of her own. Their peers had accepted the infant Victor as being Yulia and Theodore's with no accusatory questions asked. James had tried his best to smile at the words of Groves' letter, but he found it impossible, Philip Gillette however thought that it was a wonderful piece of news.

After Synnove's death they had all been deposited back on Tortuga by Sparrow and his crew. James and Gillette had quickly fallen back into their old routines, made easier after Groves left with his new family in toe. They had taken up residence in Malvina's Inn, Gillette claiming his old room and James in Synnove's. He would do anything to get close to something that was once hers but now lay abandoned much like himself. Malvina had shed many tears, wailing terribly when Gillette had told her what happened to Synnove. Each time she saw Norrington limp through the door after another unnecessary fight more tears fought their way to the surface. Gillette had left no details out and although it had taken a while for the older woman to comprehend the situation, she understood best the pain that James was feeling. Losing your lover, the other half of you, was the most painful experience that one could ever go through. She admired Synnove's bravery and strength, sacrificing herself for Norrington was the ultimate show of her love. It was the most amazing display of love to go with a most amazing young woman. Malvina did not pity Norrington, she knew that was the last thing that he would ever want. She treated him in the same manner as before, but she found herself thinking of him as more of a second son than simply a man who lodged at her Inn. Her family was broken, perhaps beyond repair, but that did not mean that she would ever turn her back on them. Norrington could stay with her, safe in the Inn for as long as he wanted, for Synnove's memory, her door would always be open.

James never noticed when he was dreaming of Synnove that her necklace emitted a low blue light as it lay on the pillow next in his hand. He never had any idea that Synnove truly was with him each night, if only in the sole form she was capable of coming to him. She wanted desperately to tell him every night how much she loved him, but when she would try to speak, but her voice was mute. She wanted to clean him up and take him far away from Tortuga, take him somewhere where he could thrive and be the man she knew that he was. He deserved so much better than the hand that life had dealt him. She knew that she was mostly to blame for his current suffering, perhaps if she had never admitted her love to him then her death would not have been as painful. Despite this, Synnove could never bring herself to regret her actions, only the pain that they caused. The memories of her, were keeping him in place. She was torturing the man she loved but she could not stay away. All Synnove could do was wrap herself in James' arms and hold onto him until the sun rose and she could hold him no longer.

And so was the life of James Norrington on that one fateful night when he was given an opportunity he never thought to be possible.

* * *

I'm sorry it took me a while to get the prologue out! Considering the fact that I leave for Sweden in 16 days, I don't know when the next chapter will be up... I'm terrified!


	2. This Picture

James closed the door behind him and stumbled towards the bed. He deposited a half-full bottle of rum onto the bedside table and kicked off his heavy shoes. The shoes fell to the floor with a heavy clunk that shot right into James skull. He closed his eyes to block out the pain of what he knew was a growing headache. When he opened his eyes again, there she was standing in front of him. It always shocked James straight to the core to see Synnove standing in front of him as clear as day and wearing the clothing she had been the day that she died. The only thing that was different was that her white shirt showed no signs of once being covered in blood, almost as if she had never suffered the fatal wound. Synnove was standing between his legs and smiling down at him, her hands on his shoulders pushing his heavy coat off. He watched as she spun around away from him and folded his coat before depositing it in the set of drawers on the opposite side of the room. When Synnove moved it was almost as if she was gliding across the floor rather than stepping and quickly she made her way back to his arms. It was the small things like that which brought James back to reality. While Synnove had not been an outright klutz with her movements, she had never been too graceful either. It was a flaw that other men would have found scandalous, but it was something about Synnove that James always loved. If she tripped, he would have been there to catch her and hold her tightly. If she was unsteady, he would have been there to hold her upright. The way the Synnove of his dreams glided across the floor was something the Synnove of his memory could never have done. In his waking moments he clung to those differences, knowing that he needed something to remind him of the truth. He needed something to help him grip onto his sanity. James made no mention of Synnove visiting him in his dreams to anyone. He knew what it would sound like to Gillette and Malvina, they would think him to be insane. Sometimes he even believed it himself. But if insanity was being with Synnove, then that was what he wanted.

James was shaken from his thoughts by the feeling of Synnove's fingers cupping his chin as she tilted his head from side to side, searching him for any injuries that he may have received during the day. James watched as Synnove's eyes softened as they came across a long but shallow cut up high on his forehead which he had managed to conceal from view with his hair. Taking a deep breath he allowed Synnove's ice cold lips to press against the wound. Her lips moved as she tried to speak, but silence was all that could be heard. She frowned as she remembered that James couldn't hear her, the sadness in her eyes unmistakeable. James wrapped his arms around Synnove's form and pulled her onto his lap. As always her body was ice cold to the touch, but it was a coldness he had come to love. He rested his chin on her shoulder; the stubble of his beard would have tickled her, if she had been real. Instead her long pale fingers caressed his cheeks and her lips parted, moving to form words that James could not hear. Although he could not hear her speak, he could read the words from her lips. It was the same thing that she said every to him every night before she disappeared with the rising sun.

"I love you," she said without words.

"And I love you," James said, speaking aloud. He cared not if anyone heard him muttering through the walls. All he cared about was how she smiled when he spoke to her.

Her fingers made their way up into his hair, curling around the long brown coloured strands that James had not bothered to have cut. Synnove's fingernails dragged along his scalp so lightly that James could swear he could feel her touch for real on his skin. Sometimes when she touched him, if James didn't know any better he would swear that she was really beside him.

Slowly Synnove rose from James' lap, taking his hand in hers she pulled him to his feet. So began another routine which had become familiar in his dreams. Synnove's small hands would undo the buttons of his shirt from the top and he would undo it from the bottom until their hands met in the middle. James smiled, he wondered if she would be doing this for him if they had both made it out of the Ice Palace, but he already knew the answer. She would always be with him, living or otherwise. The dream he had had all those nights ago still remained fresh in his head and some night he found himself wondering if Synnove had lived, if they would have had any children by now. He sincerely hoped so, but knew it was futile to imagine such things, he was torturing himself with his 'what if' scenarios and it was doing him no good whatsoever.

Synnove's fingers on James' chin forced his gaze to focus back on her. She stood on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his. He shivered at the cold touch, wishing he could feel how warm she once was. Synnove took his hands in hers and back them both towards the bed, slowly pulling him with her to lie on the bed. James used Synnove's chest as a pillow, his arms tightly around her waist, her fingertips brushing through his hair. James felt himself beginning to fall into the clutched of sleep as his eyelids became heavier. He cursed aloud, but received only a sympathetic look from Synnove. Again she mouthed that she loved him and clung tightly to him. Darkness slowly crossed his vision as he succumbed to sleep.

"I will find a way back to you." James could swear he heard Synnove whisper into his ear.

His eyes shot wide open and he took in a large gasping breath. She had spoken and he had heard every word. His happiness was quickly diminished as the image of Synnove held tightly to him began to fade before his eyes until she was no more.

He looked down to see his shirt still buttoned and his coat tossed to the floor instead of lovingly put away like he imagined. James was lying on his back on the floor, a bottle smashed onto the floor near his outstretched hand. The rum had soaked into the wooden floor beneath him, leaving a dark stain in the shape of a triangle. He traced the stain with the tip of his finger absentmindedly as he tried to sort through his memories of last night. He had remembered coming into his room, but from then he could not tell what had been a dream from the moment after that. James ran his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh, it was getting harder to tell reality from dream. He knew that he should fear for his sanity, but he found that he did not care. James sat with his head in his hands, his eyes stinging at the memories which were forcing their way to the surface.

Something wet collided with James' hand, effectively jolting him out of this spiralling thoughts. Keys' head was tilted to the side as he watched his master. James reached out and stroked the dogs head, thankful for the beast's apparent intuition. His tail was wagging back and forth in happiness as his large brown eyes moved from James and towards the window. There was nothing there of course, but the dog continued to watch and wag as if someone he was well acquainted with was standing there talking to him. The dog's antics could be unnerving at times like this; it was as if he could see something that James could not.

James decided to ignore the dog and go about pulling on his discarded clothing and make his way downstairs to the breakfast he knew that Malvina would have made for him. He wished that he could be more thankful with his words, but even looking her in the eye was difficult enough. Gillette nodded a good morning to his former superior officer as they met at the top of the stairs. James walked slowly behind Gillette and Keys trailed behind James in a chain that he knew would make Synnove giggle if she could see it. He cursed himself silently, and began seeking out a bottle of rum to aid him throughout his day.

After breakfast Gillette and James made their way down to the dock to find repair work on one of the many ships docked in Tortuga. James had to double take as he thought he saw a familiar pirate face among the crowd, but with his second glance the man had disappeared. Just as well, James thought, the last thing he needed was to be reacquainted with an undesirable character. James put his head down and concentrated on his work, soon night would fall and he could get back to his room, back to his dreams and most importantly, back to Synnove.

* * *

A man walked, or rather limped, up to the bar in Malvina's Inn late in the afternoon. His hair was short and black with streaks of grey throughout. His features were sharp and his eyes scanned the Inn with expert detail. As he came closer Malvina was able to see that he has hazel eyes with splashes of yellow and brown amongst the green. Following behind him was a man who could not have been any older than twenty. He too had thick black hair which hung down his back, his features reminiscent of the man walking in front of him. The older of the two men, the Father, clutched at a necklace around his throat. He was so close now that he could feel it in his bones. In this very bar was the one thing he had been searching for thirteen long years.

Malvina found herself blushing for the first in a very long time, she simply could not help herself as she watched the strange new man and what appeared to be his son make their way to the bar.

"Good day," he said with a heavy accent. Malvina's eyes widened, his accent reminded her so much of her dear Synnove, but this man's accent was much thicker.

"Good day sir, is there anything I could get for you?" she asked, shaking away her initial shock.

"I am looking for a man," he said. "I believe his name is James Norrington, I was told that I could find him here."

"What do you want with him?" Malvina asked abruptly. She squared up the man before her, he was broader and indeed a bit taller than Norrington. While the man did not carry a sword that Malvina could see, the boy behind him had his hand at the ready hovering over his blade.

The man leant over the counter close to Malvina. His hand closed around his locket necklace and pushed it open. "I was told that he knows where my daughter is. Have you seen her?" When his locket opened, Malvina saw that inside there was a small painted picture of a young woman. As Malvina squinted at the picture she recognised the haunting blue eyes, pale skin and midnight black hair of Synnove Nordenburg.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter is so short - but I can't just jump straight into the story now can I?  
In 6 days I'm off on my giant adventure! I have 16 hours in Hong Kong so I'll definately get some writing done there. I also have a stop over in Munich but its only for a few hours - I wish that it was longer so that I could explore!**


	3. Cold, Dark Night

"Oh my!" Malvina gasped, her hand flying over her heart. The image in the man's locket could be no one other than Synnove, but it seemed like such an impossible conclusion that Malvina was having trouble believing her own eyes.

"You know my Synnove?" he questioned, hope evident in his voice.

"Yes," she replied. "I knew dear Synnove."

"Knew?"

Malvina nodded silently, fighting back tears welling in her eyes. She had to change the subject before she said too much and had a flood of tears to contend with. "Norrington is not here at the moment. Come with me out the back and have a seat while you wait." Malvina did not mention the fact that she did not know when Norrington or her son would be home, or the fact that Norrington would most likely stumble through the door in a drunken state like always. Perhaps meeting this man would be the one thing to shake Norrington out of his depression, though she highly doubted that. Malvina could see quite easily that Norrington would never be the same until the day he was reunited with his lost lover. Malvina shook her head to dismiss her thoughts, now was not the time to be thinking of such things.

The boy spoke not a word and followed his Father like a shadow into the backroom. Malvina was at a loss of what to do, so she allowed her actions to become automatic. She grabbed two of her best cups and filled them both with her finest aged wine. These two men were related to her dear Synnove, they deserved no less than the best she had to offer. Malvina could not bring herself to tell the men of what became of Synnove, and although she dreaded leaving the task to Norrington, she had little choice in the matter. With a solemn nod she turned away from the men and resumed her place at the bar serving her drunken customers.

The hours passed slowly and each one began to take its toll on Malvina. The two men in the backroom had not moved or made a sound since she had lead them to their seats. It was quite possibly the most unnerving thing Malvina had ever witnessed. They had not requested anything from her, they simply sat there. Every now and then the man and the boy would talk, but their tones were hushed so Malvina could not overhear anything. She suspected that even if she could make out what they were saying, she would not be able to understand. With every drink that Malvina served she wished time would march on faster, though she dreaded what was to come. Unlike other bars in Tortuga, she closed at midnight exactly. It discouraged some of the more questionable patrons, though in Tortuga everyone was questionable to some degree or other. She was past the age where she could stay up all hours of the night on her feet.

When midnight struck Malvina had thrown the drunkards out with their empty bottles and empty purses. Seeing as how most of her customers were regulars, she did not need to expend much effort to rid herself of them, they knew her protocols by now and were as obedient as could be expected. She let out a sigh as she surveyed the mess her customers had left, if only they could be trained to clean up after themselves rather than smashing bottles everywhere Malvina would be much happier. She walked through the backroom, keeping her eyes to the ground as she moved to deter any questions from her guests. Quickly she located the broom and darted back out into the main area and began to clean up the inevitably large mess.

Her son and Norrington had yet to return from wherever they were and each moment of their absence created greater tension between Malvina and her guests. She made herself busy, cleaning unnecessarily to avoid speaking with the men. Her hands shook nervously and her sweeping paced back and forth, gaining no progress. In short, Malvina was a nervous wreck at the thought of what was to come.

* * *

Following closely behind Gillette, James entered Malvina's Inn. His hand was held to his chest where his fingers clasped his most prized possession. The sapphire was warm to the touch, signalling to James that the time was near. The moments that he lived for were almost upon him. His stumbling feet trudged a familiar path towards the stairs, the clear parts of his alcohol fuelled thoughts knew he was going to see Synnove. It was all he wanted, all he would ever want until he took his dying breath. She would come to him tonight, just like every night since her death and he would hold onto her until she drifted away.

Keys followed behind him, keeping a vigilant watch over his master, his namesake jingling quietly between his teeth. James wanted nothing more than to make his way upstairs, but the dog was demanding to be fed, butting his head against James' free hand. Slowly and with much effort James made his way to the backroom to give whatever leftovers Malvina had to the beast. It was the least he could do for Synnove's memory. So focused was James on standing that he failed to realise that Malvina had guests, Gillette on the other hand had noticed straight away. His hand hovered over his sword subtly, if these two men made a move to harm his Mother there would be hell to pay.

"Is this James Norrington?" Balthazar questioned Malvina pointing towards Gillette. He pointed to Gillette as he asked because the other man leaning against the doorframe was an utter disgrace and reeked of alcohol. The man he had pointed to smelled strongly of alcohol too, but at least he could stand up straight.

"I am James Norrington," muttered the leaning man.

"You?" Balthazar questioned, he had hoped it was not true.

"Yes," James replied, utterly confused and far too inebriated for repeated questions.

"I am Balthazar Nordenburg and the young man with me is my son, Soren," he said introducing himself.

James' eyes widened in shock, "I see." Immediately he felt himself begin to sober up.

"I take it from the look upon your face that you know who I am, yet I know so little of you. In fact, I know next to nothing about you," Balthazar said, he felt his anger rising, but he continued talking through gritted teeth. "I have but one question Mr. Norrington, where is Synnove?"

"Synnove is dead," James answered, his voice in a flat tone.

Soren lurched forwards, "what do you mean she is dead?" he asked before adding, "how can you say as if it were nothing?" the boy was astounded at Norrington's lack of care for the fate of his older sister.

"What else can I say," James replied, "she took the blades which were meant for me. She sacrificed her own life for mine and then Synnove died in my arms."

Balthazar's eyes landed on the tear shaped necklace dangling from James' neck and his eyes widened in rage. Synnove had given this man the gift of eternal protection, something that once given could never be returned. Synnove had loved this man until death, a death which he was solely responsible for as he had even admitted. "My precious daughter loved a drunkard?" Balthazar roared in anger. "This man cannot even stand straight yet you mean to tell me he not only gained the trust, but the love of Synnove? I cannot believe it, I will not believe it." Balthazar directed his question at Malvina, begging with his eyes to be told that it was all a lie.

"I believe that she loved him from the minute she laid eyes upon him," Malvina answered honestly. "The same could be said for Norrington. They were smitten with one another, positively smitten." She smiled at the memory of how the pair acted around each other. At that time neither had been willing to admit their affections for one another, but their actions made it obvious to Malvina. The way that Synnove would stay up late and wait for Norrington to return, her eyes lighting up as he walked through the door betrayed her carefully concealed emotions towards the older man. Norrington was slightly harder to read, but the way his eyes followed Synnove's every move, watching to see if she was safe, gave him away even before he knew his feelings for himself. His eyes did not linger on any other woman in that way, Malvina had watched him to make sure. There was no denying it in her mind, Synnove and Norrington had loved each other from the minute they had locked eyes.

"Look at him!" Balthazar cried, shaking Malvina from her happy memories. "He is unworthy to even look upon her let alone to hold her heart. Oh my dear child, what horrors she must have faced to allowed her heart to fall to such a man." He then proceeded to mutter in his native language things which only his son could understand.

"Forgive my Father," the younger man pleaded. "We have come so far, this is not what we were expecting to find."

"I am sorry that I do not live up to your expectations," James spat. "However, Synnove told me that when I returned her home, you would not even notice she had been gone, Greve Nordenburg," James added the title out of anger rather than respect.

"How dare you make such an accusation?" Balthazar yelled. "My daughter is dead because of you!"

"That is a fact that I am more than aware of," James countered. "She sacrificed herself for me, I watched her die –"

Balthazar cut James off when he ripped the sword from his son's belt and holding it firmly in his hands, "I should run you straight through!"

James looked Balthazar square in the eyes and stretched out his hands to either side of his body, utterly defenceless and willing. "Then do it," he said, his tone that of a man defeated.

Balthazar shook his head and dropped the sword to the floor with a loud clang of metal against stone. "Synnove truly loved you?" he asked, his eyes searching James' face for the hint of a lie, a hint of anything that would allow him to continue his threat.

"Yes," James replied, Balthazar found none of the signs he was looking for.

"Then as much as I despise you for causing my daughter's death, if she loved you, I cannot harm you," he explained before adding, "she would never forgive me if harm were to befall you. Make no mistake though boy, just because I will not harm you does not mean that I will ever hold any fondness for you."

"I would have preferred if you had run me through," James stated as casually as if he were mentioning the weather in polite conversation.

Balthazar stepped up close to James and took the younger man by the shoulders, "she would never want that for you," he said. He spoke as a man who truly knew his daughter's kind and gentle nature. Balthazar had forgotten nothing of Synnove ever since her disappearance and his quest to find her helped to keep the memory alive.

James tore his eyes away from Synnove's Father, he was correct of course, but that did not make James' feelings lessen by any means. "I know," he replied softly.

Balthazar surveyed James slowly, this time studying the man with kinder eyes. He had obviously suffered at the loss of Synnove, it could be seen plainly in his defeated demeanour and his green eyes seemed to swim with despair. Balthazar gripped the man by the shoulders, "come and have a seat with us, I wish to know everything of Synnove and how she came to into your protection Mr. Norrington."

James did not want to have to explain everything which had happened in the short months that Synnove was by his side. He wanted nothing more than to run from this Father and son duo and their probing questions which were sure to provoke memories he had no intention of dealing with. To say that James was happy with his routine since returning to Tortuga would be a lie, but it was something familiar which he clung tightly to. Against all of the feelings to the opposite James sat himself down opposite Balthazar while Gillette took the seat to his left and Malvina to his right. The dog sat at his feet, his large brown eyes trained on the two unfamiliar men sitting at the table. The older woman placed her hand on James' shoulder in a gesture of reassurance, but he didn't want her pity. He closed his eyes, wishing it was Synnove's hand consoling him, but his imagination failed him. The previous state of inebriation which he had wandered home in had disappeared along with any hope of a good night's sleep. James hung his head in his hands and began his tale. He explained how he had come across Synnove in Davey Jones' Locker, hoping that her family members would think him insane and leave at once, but instead they remained still, listening intently as he spoke. At the mention of Stefan, Balthazar was positively livid remembering the man who had once been a close friend of his beloved wife. The older man had however congratulated James for his efficient dispatch of Stefan, smiling proudly at the man who would have been his son-in-law. As the night progressed on further, so did James' tale until he reached the revelation that Synnove had been trapped in the Locker for thirteen long years and so she appeared the same as the young woman in Balthazar's locket. Soren remained silent throughout James' tale, unmoving as he listened and tried his best to remember the sister who had once loved him so dearly.

Finally James reached the part of Synnove's story which caused him the most pain, he took a deep breath before beginning. "She said that the Norns were going to destroy either Synnove or myself so that the future they favoured would come to fruition," James said, his voice beginning to shake. "I was prepared to die for her and she knew that. At the last minute she spun herself in front of me, effectively shielding me from the blades which killed her." James looked away, forcing his eyes tightly closed to hold back his tears, he could not cry in front of Balthazar and Soren, he would not cry!

Balthazar studied James in silence, watching as he fought against himself to contain his emotions. After such a long time Synnove's death was still a raw nerve to this man, Balthazar could not deny that Norrington had been deeply in love with his daughter.

"Who told you about me?" James asked as he regained some of his emotional control.

"An interesting man by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow, though he does not have a ship so I do not see how he could call himself a Captain," Soren explained.

James' face contorted with disgust, trust Sparrow to stick his nose into things which were no longer any of his concern. "I see."

"He was accompanied by two women," Soren continued.

James fought the urge to roll his eyes, the women Soren had seen Sparrow with were undoubtedly the pair of whores, Scarlett and Giselle who seemed to glue themselves to the pirate whenever he made port. His nose wrinkled as he remembered his first encounter with the two women, they had tried to sell their wares to him the first night of his return to Tortuga and hadn't been all that happy with his vehement rejection. He may have never been with Synnove in the way that a man was to be with his wife, but he considered himself married to her memory. Death had parted them before they could be wed, but that mattered little to him, as far as James was concerned Synnove was his wife and no whore of Tortuga, or any other woman for that matter, could change his mind.

"One of the women was somewhat peculiar with dark skin and a habit of speaking in riddles," Soren continued.

James found his attention returning quickly to the boy before him, a dark skinned woman was most certainly not Scarlett or Giselle. He shot a look across to Gillette who had also found the piece of information to be of interest.

"And the other woman?" Gillette asked.

Soren blushed at the memory of the second woman, "she was very beautiful," he explained. "She had long blonde hair –"

"She was wearing men's trousers!" Balthazar interrupted, clearly not impressed by the notion. "That is something which a woman should never do."

"She was still beautiful," Soren muttered under his breath, but still Balthazar heard every word that he spoke.

James felt the bottom of his stomach drop, there was only one blonde woman he knew that wore men's clothing and consorted with pirates. Surely Sparrow new many more women like that, James told himself to shoo away the growing feeling of dread with regards to the situation. He folded his fingers around Synnove's necklace, feeling that the stone was warm to the touch. He needed to leave now, as interesting as he was sure continuing his conversation with Synnove's family would be, nothing was more inviting to him than the prospect of sleeping until his dreams returned.

Malvina clapped her hands together, jolting everyone out of their thoughts, "right now I think it would be best if you all got some sleep." She directed her attention to Balthazar and Soren, "You are more than welcome to stay here," Malvina invited sincerely. "There is more than enough room."

"You will be adequately compensated for your trouble," Balthazar began before Malvina cut him off.

"Nonsense!" she exclaimed, "you are family and family does not pay."

Gillette began to make a noise of protest before a sharp glare from Malvina stopped the words in his throat.

"Thank you," Soren replied.

Now Malvina turned her attention to Norrington who sat still with his head hung low and the energy drawn from his body. "Come now Norrington, it is time for bed."

James grunted and rose to his feet slowly. Without another word he made his way up the stairs to his bedroom, Keys following closely behind. As soon as the door was closed he felt gentle arms snake their way around his waist. He had missed several hours of her company, but she had returned to him regardless. James turned around in her arms and kissed her cold lips, only then did he allow his tears to fall.

* * *

**I'm sorry that this chapter took so long getting posted - things have been a little ... different around here to say the least. Because I am an idiot I went without internet for 4 long agonising days!  
Apart from that I have been somewhat distracted with a new fandom - lets just say I have become enamoured with a certain man who is "burdened with glorious purpose."I wonder if you can guess who says that line?  
**


	4. Tread The Floods

James hauled himself off the floor slowly, once again failing to make it to his bed before his dreams claimed him. Instead the bed had been occupied by Keys who was currently laying sprawled out in the middle, large pink belly on display for the world to see. Even if James had made it to the comfort of the bed, the dog would have surely pushed him out sometime over the course of his active canine sleep. He let the beast do as it pleased which most of the time involved following him from the docks back home again. James had briefly considered returning to the ocean, a large part of him wishing that his ship would be dashed upon the rocks, but no ships wanted a useless canine mouth to feed and he could not bring himself to abandon the dog. It was the kind of sickly sentimentality that would have once made James shudder and question the integrity of those who harboured such feelings. However, now James better understood why the older Captains widowed or otherwise, kept small tokens of their wives and families while they were out at sea. It was not a sign of weakness, nor was it a distraction from their assigned duties. It was something which kept them grounded firmly in this world, something which kept them from making reckless decisions. James liked to think that if he had been married to Synnove at the time he went chasing Sparrow around the seven seas, that his decision to go through the hurricane would have been different. His lack of perspective had cost many good men their lives. As reluctant as James was to admit it, Keys kept him grounded in this world during the waking hours. The beast may not possess the intelligence to understand what he meant to James, but the beast was nothing if not reliable.

Slowly James pulled on a freshly cleaned set of clothing, silently thanking Malvina for her kindness before he made his way downstairs. Hearing the door opening, Keys shot awake and darted out of the door behind James, keeping to the man's side as he walked. There was a familiar pounding in his head with each step that he took which reminded him precisely how much alcohol he had consumed the previous night but there was nothing he could do that would make the unpleasant feeling disappear so he continued on.

It was far earlier in the morning than James was used to being awake, but that was done on purpose. He hoped to be gone from the Inn before Balthazar or Soren made their appearance, it was too difficult. The sooner that the pair left the sooner James could fall back into his old routine, for now he would have to suffer their presence. Cautiously James passed through the outskirts of the bar and walked out through the front door. Gillette could catch up with him later, for now he wished only to begin his work so that the day could begin its march towards night.

* * *

As the sun dropped out of the sky and darkness arrived James and Keys began to make their way back towards Malvina's Inn. Gillette had left a few hours previously, still not entirely comfortable with the idea of leaving his Mother alone for any great length of time. Gillette had become convinced that the quality of people of Tortuga were becoming worse and worse as time progressed to the point where he would stand guard by the door late at night just to make sure that she would be safe. Murder was always frequent in Tortuga, but it seemed to be on the increase as of late. Malvina knew nothing of his self imposed guard duty of course, she still believed the people of Tortuga were mainly good people and he knew that nothing would change her mind. Malvina was far too trusting for her own good at times.

James stretched his aching arms above his head and bent to the side, feeling his back crack at the movement. It was a long walk back to the Inn and he hoped that Malvina had saved him something to eat, the fact that he was at the moment without a bottle of rum to clutch playing on his mind as he walked past the numerous bars along the pathway.

"James!" a female voice hollered, "James Norrington!"

He ignored the woman calling his name and pressed onwards to Malvina's Inn. He was sober, which for this time of the night was a remarkable feat. Ever since Balthazar and Soren had shown up the other night James had felt off-centre and now he was even hearing voices. He normally had several bottles of rum in his system before he started hearing voices from his past, perhaps he truly was losing his mind like he had begun to fear.

"James please turn around!" the voice begged.

James quickened his pace away from the pleading woman, he had nothing that he wanted to say to her. He just wanted to get home away from the bustling streets of Tortuga and off to bed, to Synnove and far away from the memories the familiar voice was dragging forwards.

He heard light footfalls behind him, the owner of the voice apparently running to catch up with him. James should have known that time would not have made the owner of that particular voice any less aggressive in her pursuits. He slowed his pace to a stop, Keys stopping with him. If the owner of the voice was real then it would be easier to just give in and see what she wanted, if the owner of the voice was a figment of his imagination then nothing bad could come of it.

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder and James felt his spirits sink. Deliberately slowly he turned around and came face to face with the dark brown eyes and long golden hair of Elizabeth Turner. The expression on his face was an unreadable mask, but she appeared overjoyed to see him again. Elizabeth pulled James into an embrace; his hands remained at his sides.

"Oh James, I am so glad to see that you are alive! I thought for certain that you had died that night that you saved my life," she spoke quickly.

James stayed silent, hoping that somehow if he ignored her then she would disappear before his eyes.

"James? Do you not remember me?"

"I remember you perfectly well Mrs. Turner," he replied. His voice was as cold as ice.

"Are you not glad to see me James?" Elizabeth asked. After the way that they had last parted ways, she had expected an entirely different reaction from the man she had thought that she once knew.

It was obvious to James that Elizabeth mistook his tone for annoyance or perhaps hatred rather than the numbness with which the words were spoken. He was never glad to see anyone anymore, except for in his dreams, otherwise it felt like a physical impossibility to him. Smiles rarely graced his lips when he had been a naval officer, now they were utterly unfeasible.

"Ah see!" another familiar voice announced. "There is Norrington! I told you she would find him."

James' eyes darted straight towards another pair of dark eyes, this time they belonged to Jack Sparrow. Sparrow walked, or rather staggered besides Mr. Gibbs with a rum bottle in each hand.

"Aye Captain, that you did," Mr. Gibbs answered. Although in his hands he held no bottles, it was obvious that he too was intoxicated.

James' scowl deepened, he really did have the worst of luck when it came to seeing people he never wanted to see again. He was however thankful that the pair of pirates had interrupted before he was forced to answer Elizabeth's question. Now he was free to dismiss it as if it had never been spoken, perhaps, he thought, his luck was not so bad after all.

"Did she tell you why we came mate?" Sparrow asked, his hands flailing wildly in an exaggerated manner.

"No," James answered simply. He hoped against all odds that they were just here to look for a crew and that when he declined their offer that he would be free to go. However, James had a feeling that this would not be the case.

"Typical woman," Mr. Gibbs began before a sharp glare from Elizabeth silence any further words of wisdom could escape his lips.

Elizabeth looked at James as if she were waiting for him to ask why they were there. The James Norrington that she knew would have been immediately concerned to see her in Tortuga, he would have demanded answers and to know how he could assist her. This was not the same man that she had known for most of her life, he was deeply changed and Elizabeth feared that it was for the worst.

"We are going to help you reclaim your bonny lass!" Sparrow proclaimed. He had grown bored with the silence that had been present.

James scoffed, "it may have escaped your notice Sparrow but Synnove is not a lost dog, she is dead."

Elizabeth gasped at the harsh tone of his words.

"Aye mate, that she is," Sparrow said. "But that did not stop you or I did it?"

"This 'ere not be the place to discuss such t'ings," Calypso spoke cutting the conversation short. She looked exactly as James had remembered her, though he was not sure why he had thought she would appear any different.

James was momentarily startled, he had no seen or heard the Sea Goddess until she had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"She is right," Elizabeth agreed. "Do you know of a safe place to talk?"

"Nowhere is safe in Tortuga!" Mr. Gibbs cried loudly over the sounds of Tortuga. Sparrow nodded vigorously in agreement, his body swaying dangerously with intoxication.

"There is a safe place," James objected with a roll of his eyes. He didn't want to bring any of these people back to Malvina's but it would appear that he had no choice in the matter.

* * *

James lead the group back to Malvina's Inn, taking his time in the hopes that he would wake up to find his pockets empty and for this all to be a terrible concussion dream. As he saw the firelights of her Inn, he knew that this particular nightmare was a reality.

Malvina asked a million and one questions as he walked through the door, all of which were silenced as Sparrow introduced himself in his usual eccentric fashion, taking Malvina's hand and kissing it before introducing himself as Captain Jack Sparrow. The older woman could not help but blush at the attention that the younger man was giving her.

At the unexpected sound of numerous voices in the Inn after closing time, Gillette gathered up his sword and marched into the main entrance room. He snarled when he saw how close Sparrow was to his Mother and made his way over to the pair, on his guard and ready to strike should Norrington gesture that something was amiss. Following Gillette, both Balthazar and Soren made their way from the back room, though there was no tension in their movements.

James ran a hand through his hair before claiming a bottle of rum from behind the counter and seating himself down at the table in the middle of the room. Keys sat at his side, watching. Slowly the others took the surrounding seats, Gillette to his right and Elizabeth to his left, though Keys acted as a barrier between them. For that James was eternally grateful, he didn't want Elizabeth so close, he couldn't stand it.

"They mentioned something about bringing Synnove back to life," James explained in answer to the unasked question. His tone was flat, devoid of the joy that should have been present at the mere thought of being reunited with the woman he loved. James could not believe a word of it, Calypso herself had said that she could not be saved. Nothing had changed expect time and he highly doubted that time be such a changing factor in this particular predicament.

"Is that even possible?" Soren asked, his eyes wide with hope.

"No," James replied, "the Goddess herself said that it was not possible."

"Her comes to you at night," Calypso said looking James straight in the eyes as if daring him to lie. It was a skilful change of subject, but James would not forget.

James nodded in reply, not trusting his voice at this point. He would not dare to believe that Synnove could be returned to him so easily.

"Her enter de dreams of him which her loves so much," Calypso added. "Her will not rest."

"What do you mean she will not rest? A dream is just a dream, she is not real," Gillette said immediately sceptical. His friend had suffered enough without being forced to relive such painful memories in the company of others.  
"'ow real do her feel?"

James let out a low sigh, "cold," he said simply, "but so alive."

"Because her is alive," Calypso replied as if it were an obvious conclusion to reach. "Her calls out to you, her want to live again by your side."

James felt his heartbeat quicken and his temper rise, "I watched her die, we all did," he said motioning to Gillette and the two male pirates. "Do you enjoy tormenting me with promises you cannot hope to fulfil?" venom seeped into James' voice.

"Her could not be saved at dat moment, in dat place," Calypso explained. "I would not have come if I did not believe you could reclaim her which you love." There was nothing other than sincerity to be found in the Sea Goddess' words.

"So there is a way that we could get Synnove back?" Soren spoke up.

The Sea Goddess nodded the affirmative. Sometimes explaining things to mortals was rather taxing on her but she fought the urge to say anything to that effect.

"Then if Mr. Norrington decides to go, we will accompany him," Balthazar said, his eyes trained on James.

"I will go anywhere," James said firmly.

Elizabeth smiled faintly at James though he did not see it. Her hand itched to reach out and touch him, console him, but she did not move. "We will be accompanying you as well," she said.

"What is in it for you?" James asked, immediately suspicious. His eyes darted from Sparrow and Elizabeth.

"I was always rooting for you mate," Sparrow said flashing James a golden toothed smile.

James scowled, he had hoped never to see the pirate again but here he was again almost as if the gods had conspired against him. He bit back a snide comment and took a deep gulp out of his bottle of rum instead. "I do not believe you answered my question Mr. Sparrow. You say there is a way to bring Synnove back, yet there is no benefit in such an endeavour for you."

"Balthazar gets his daughter back, Soren gets his sister, you get Synnove back by your side," Sparrow explained, "and we," he paused motioning to Mr. Gibbs, "get to explore unknown territory. If there is one thing for certain about unknown territory it is that it always holds treasure."

"But it is unknown," Soren spoke up. His head cocked to the side in a familiar gesture of confusion, "so how can you know what is there?"

Sparrow smiled widely again, "pirate!" he announced as his answer.

Soren's eyebrows knitted together with confusion and he looked to his Father for an explanation, but Balthazar was at just as much of a loss as his son for an explanation.

James rolled his eyes, "you neglected to mention what you get out of this proposition," he said turning his attention to Elizabeth.

"I just want to help you James," she replied, "I owe you my life." There was sincerity in her voice, but James had grown more cynical than ever before and he believed not a word that she spoke. There was something else that she stood to gain from this journey, something which she did not want to mention. However he would have to take her at her word for the time being, he had little choice otherwise.

James looked to Gillette, his eyes asking a silent question. Gillette cast his eyes over to his Mother, he feared leaving her alone in Tortuga. It had never worried him much before, but the feeling in his gut told him not to leave without her. This was no place for a woman of her age, but then again neither was the open sea.

Malvina seemed to sense her son's reluctance, "I will be fine here, always have been, always will be."

"But Mother!" Gillette began to protest. A sharp glare from the fiery woman left him speechless, after all of these years she still could strike fear into his heart with her dark looks.

"There would be room enough on the ship?" Elizabeth suggested.

Malvina waved her hand dismissively, "I've always been terrible out at sea, all that rocking and swaying doesn't do the old stomach any good either."

Gillette nodded remembering how many days she had spent below deck confined to her cabin and begging theatrically for someone to kill her during their crossing to Port Royal. He still didn't enjoy the idea of leaving her behind though.

"Then it is settled!" Sparrow said raising his bottle and taking a deep swig of rum.

* * *

James let out a frustrated sigh as he followed the chain of people through the carven. He held his lantern high, hoping to see more in the direction that they were all headed but all he could see were more lanterns dotting the pathway. James was the last in the chain, not due to his lack of enthusiasm, but because he could not see any possible way in which those walking ahead of him could help him to reclaim what he had lost. He had lived in the hope that one morning he would wake with the real Synnove laying beside him, telling him that everything had just been a nightmare. He wanted nothing more than Synnove returned to his side, but after a long year without her James had come to the soul crushing realisation that she was never coming back. It would appear that the death of the innocent was final, whereas for himself, Sparrow and Barbossa, all with a thick coating of blood on their hands, even death did not want them.

James refrained from asking where they were going, unlike young Soren, because he knew that the Sea Goddess would only give cryptic answers designed to help but ultimately infuriate. He ran his free hand through his hair, pushing back the loose strands which covered his eyes. All around him he could hear the rum bottles calling, he shouldn't be here. The last place James wanted to be was with the pirate who ruined his life, the Sea Goddess whose power could not save Synnove and the woman who had left his heart in tatters for Synnove to put back together. James wanted a full bottle of rum to cradle whilst he waited for the witching hour, not to be here. With each dark thought, James felt the call of the bottles become stronger, self loathing following in quick succession like it always did. His thoughts became erratic, running from memories of Synnove to his dire need to get away from his present company and back to the Inn, then back to Synnove in a circular pattern that no stray thoughts could break. What made it all the worse was the strange glances that Elizabeth passed in his direction. They had barely spoken a word to one another, though this was not something that James was lamenting. Elizabeth on the other hand had a million and one things to say to James, but for what felt like the first time in her life, she could not find a way to say everything that she felt needed to be said.

A cold wet nose banged itself against James' hand, as always the beast was his saviour from his repeating thoughts, almost as if Keys knew what James had been thinking of. James bent slightly and ruffled the dog's fur on the top of his head. If he could truly bring Synnove back to life then he knew she would be glad to see the beast still by his side.

The chain of people that James had been following stopped abruptly, signalling that they had reached their destination, though James saw nothing out of the ordinary. His vision was partially obscured due to the limited lighting coming from his lamp, but as far as he could tell, this was a typical cavern, dark, cold and wet. The only thing that he could not place was the undeniable sound of waves.

Calypso raised her arms above her head and with a flash of light the cavern was illuminated by hundreds of tiny globes of s soft glowing blue light. It reminded James instantly of Synnove and his fingers instinctively latched around her necklace. With the addition of the light James could now see where the sound of waves was coming from. The part of the cavern where they stood was a high up ledge hanging over the dark ocean below. It seemed physically impossible that such a cavern could exist, but there was no denying where they all stood at this moment. James had never taken much time to explore Tortuga, but even if he had James suspected that this was one of those places that could not be found so easily.

Calypso turned around, her eyes immediately locking onto James, there was only so much that she could tell him without overstepping certain boundaries. This was a journey which must be undertaken completely willingly. Calypso understood the depths of the love James held for Synnove, but she also knew how deep the wounds which plagued him were. Wounds could fester into doubt and if there was any doubt in his heart then he would never make it back alive, nor would those who accompanied him.

"You mus' find de body an' the soul," Calypso explained. "de body wi'hout the soul be an empty shell and de soul wi'hout a body cannot return from where we be going. It not be an easy task James Norrington, do ye still wish to continue?"

"There is no doubt in my mind, I will go anywhere for Synnove," James said, his voice full of determination.

Calypso gave James a crooked smile, "even to where the lost reside?" she asked.

"Anywhere," James repeated.

Calypso smiled, "den dere be only one more thing we need."

James looked up at Calypso but it was Sparrow who spoke, "what would that be?" Sparrow asked.

"A ship properly equipped to brave the treacherous waters with a Captain 'ho knows all the tides of de ocean," Calypso explained, smiling to herself.

As soon as the words had escaped the Goddess' mouth a large ship rose from beneath the dark ocean swells. James recognised this ship and it made his blood run cold at the revelation. Standing at the helm of the ship were two of the last people James ever wanted to see again. The feeling of dread which had been settling in his stomach since he cast eyes upon Elizabeth earlier in the day finally made complete and utter sense to him.

* * *

**Hello there my dear readers! I hope that you are all still here with me? Yes? I'm sorry that it took me 2 months before I got this chapter out – please forgive me!**  
**So can anyone guess where they are going ? There is the smallest of hints in chapter 2 (I know I posted it soooo long ago)**

**University in Sweden is a lot different to how it is back in NZ so I've been struggling a bit with that… actually, pretty much everything is different – but I'm in love with Sweden! If you ever get the chance to visit DO IT!**  
**Also on my second week over here my dog got really sick and had to be put to sleep. I didn't really get a chance to say goodbye to him, so I spent a good amount of my time bawling my eyes out over that and I know that it will be worse when I go back home because he won't be there to welcome me back and I won't have anyone to go on walks with/dress up/cuddle/generally annoy.**


	5. Author's note

**Hello lovely readers!**

**I was just wondering if any of you are still waiting for updates on this story or not?**  
**I've had some terrible writers block lately but I seem to have conquered it. **

**I currently have 2 other active stories at the moment and there seems to be reasonable demand for them to be updated. **

**I suppose what I am saying is if no one is looking forward to updates from James and Synnove than I should focus on my other stories. **  
**Please let me know if you think this is the worst idea in the history of ideas and I will turn my focus to The Reclamation. **  
**If not, then this story will be going on an indefinite hiatus.**

**- Keggy Chaos**


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